Fibershots Pieces

As I mentioned a few times, I made two small quilt-lets to donate to the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles for their Fibershots fundraiser. All the pieces are 10″x 10″ and will be $100. They should have less than 3″ of dimensionality if the piece sticks out from the wall. My piece is basically flat.

I am killing two birds with one stone by making them in the minimalist style for the Mighty Lucky Quilting Club February Challenge. I’ll talk more about that aspect in a later post.

Minimalist Fiber 1 & 2
Minimalist Fiber 1 & 2

I wanted to make something that would sell, so I kept the design clean and used popular colors. The piecing was easy – all out of the scrap bins. I got bored by the machine quilting so I added some color to each piece.

I didn’t know I had to put a sleeve, etc on the piece, so I wasn’t able to finish them at the work party after the meeting. I was a little irritated at that, but stayed up on Saturday night (my exciting life!) to finish them so I could start fresh on Sunday morning.

I hope someone buys these. I would really be unhappy if they stayed in the gift shop for the next 3 years.

CQFA Meeting

Yes, right after the Retreat, we were back at it with a meeting. We didn’t have regular show and tell at the December meeting, so we had to catch up and have a big show and tell in February.

The business meeting portion wasn’t that big of a deal or very long. The topics discussed were important, but we dealt with them quickly – dues, meetings for the rest of the year, etc. We are discussing the possibility of having a show. It is a lot of work for a small group, above and beyond the making of the pieces, so there is discussion.

We traded ATCs and they were great this time. Valentine’s Day is coming, so you can see the red theme was prevalent. I was somewhat embarrassed with mine (upper left hand corner), because they were quick and dirty and I forgot to sew the charms on. I’ll call them minimalist.

Show and Tell is always the best part. There wasn’t a lot. I showed Tuffet #2 and FOTY 2014, both of which were finished since the last regular show and tell.

Rhonda's Blue Shirts
Rhonda’s Blue Shirts

Rhonda showed the quilt she made for her dad, which she made as almost her first quilt. The design is her own and I think it is one of the best shirt patterns I have seen.

Gerre's Vintage Spin
Gerre’s Vintage Spin

Gerre showed her Vintage Spin again. I love this quilt so much that I had to show it to you again.

Bron's Fibershot #1
Bron’s Fibershot #1
Bron's Fibershot #2
Bron’s Fibershot #2

Bron made two quilt-lets for Fibershots based on her paintings. She spent the work time after the meeting, while I quilted my quilt-lets, fashioning some hangers using some pretty chopsticks.

After the meeting, the plan was to work on Fibershots pieces in a group setting and possibly collaborate. Maureen, Bron and I were the only ones who stayed and I was determined to make some progress on my two. I had hauled my machine and gear down to the meeting, so I felt like I had to. I was pleased that they stayed.

Before we started sewing and working, Bron and I went to Asian Box (no affiliation!) and grabbed lunch. I also got some Pho for dinner and I had two of the best meals ever. I can still taste them in my mouth and I am drooling just thinking about them. Bron and I decided that we could share a box (rice, vegees, meat) as it was enough for two. I can’t wait! Yum!

Thanksgiving Tablerunner #1

I was determined to work on some of the projects on my to do list at the Retreat. I also wanted to work on some projects I wasn’t likely to work on at home.

First up was the Thanksgiving tablerunner. It has only been on my to do list for 5 minutes, but I started with it because it is small. I figured that I could actually finish it.

Thanksgiving tablerunner - quilted
Thanksgiving tablerunner – quilted

I was able to finish the quilting. I am a bit of a maniac when I do decide to quilt, so the project took me all afternoon and into the evening. I did go out to dinner and socialize, but otherwise sat in front of my machine and quilted.

I quilted diagonal lines in the center (red) using some blue painter’s tape to keep the lines even and straight. As I got more comfortable, my mania started to kick in and around the edges I did a lot more quilting. I followed the outline of the pumpkins and gourds. I also quilted a lot around the leaves on the top and bottom and in the orange sashing.

Next up binding, then I will have a finish for 2016.

Oroville Quilt Shops, pt.3

The Morning Star ladies suggested that I go to Chico to the two quilt shops there rather than all the way to Colusa. They said that the shop in Colusa was great, but that it was about an hour away and I would have to travel almost an hour to get back to Oroville. Chico, on the other hand, was about 20 minutes away and on my way back to Oroville.
I was started to have enough of visiting quilt shops, but wasn’t quite ready to give up, so I took their advice. Sorry, Colusa! Another time.
Cathy's Sew & Vac / Honey Run
Cathy’s Sew & Vac / Honey Run

The first shop I visited was called Honey Run Quilters. I have seen this shop’s booth at PIQF and their shop is even better than the booth. The funny thing about the shop is that it is in Cathy’s Sew & Vac. I have never seen a larger Sew & Vac type shop. This place was the size of a Walgreen’s! Tucked inside was Honey Run. In addition to Honey Run, sewing machines and vacuum cleaners, the Sew & Vac sold barbecues! You could keep your male companion busy looking at those babies while you shop! They also had a ‘husband’s couch’, if your man isn’t into grilling.

Honey Run Sale Fabrics
Honey Run Sale Fabrics

Outside Honey Run were the sale fabrics which were comprised of 3 long aisles of fabric on racks 2 bolts high. These were good fabrics, too, not old crap. They ran about $5/yard. They also had notions, thread and needles outside the actual Honey Run shop.

Honey Run Shop in a Shop
Honey Run Shop in a Shop

Inside Honey Run, the shop was PACKED with fabric. All kinds of fabric. I was told upon entry that they were having a 25% off sale. Either I scored a bonus or was doomed. 😉

Honey Run fabrics
Honey Run fabrics

I passed up a lime green flower print from Philip Jacobs, but picked up some low volume prints.  I have more than the Carpenter’s Wheels on my mind, I think. I am cursing myself for skipping my man Phil’s flower print, but what can I do? I will use the print on the right in a bag, I think. We will see.

At the checkout counter, I asked if I could take some photos and gave them a card. The woman at the counter asked if I teach and I told her that I teach and suggested the Renewed Jelly Roll Race quilt. I have no idea if that will come to anything, but I was very flattered to be asked.

 I could have bought a lot more. I liked the shop and would definitely go there again. They had great fabric and I would love to go to that shop again. It is so out of the way, I don’t know when I will be by again.
Address: 2418 Cohasset Rd, Chico, CA 95926
Phone:(530) 342-5464
See part 1 of this travelogue.
See part 2 of this travelogue.

CQFA Retreat

The CQFA Retreat was back to its normal last weekend of January timeframe. I was so pleased to be able to attend again. I know I went in May, but the last couple of January retreats, I wasn’t able to attend. I love January and quiltmaking in January is the best.

Short description of the weekend: it was fabulous.

I drove down with Kathleen, after convincing her that joining CQFA and going on Retreat would be a good idea. She drove over the mountain in her giant truck, so we drove down to the retreat in style!

Hard at work
Hard at work

People trickled in throughout the day and by evening the room was full.

When we arrived, we were disappointed to find Rhonda unable to attend! She was suddenly taken ill. Since she organized everything, it was a big disappointment for her as well. She felt much better on Saturday so her husband drove her up and we were all thrilled to see her.

The Giant Pizzas
The Giant Pizzas

There isn’t a restaurant in the hotel, though they do have a continental-plus breakfast, so we had to go out for meals, though there were plenty of snacks available. Julie and I went to our traditional Mexican place on Friday night. Kathleen joined us. Some of the ladies decided to get pizza delivered and were shocked when two GIANT pizzas arrived.

These pizzas engendered much hilarity because of their 24″ size. The order taker was surprised, justifiably when we saw them, that the ladies were ordering two. Those pizzas fed people on and off throughout the weekend.

Much Work was Accomplished

My retreat workspace
My retreat workspace

I did not bring my design wall this time. The new one purports to be portable, but it is heavy and I didn’t feel like dragging it along. I wanted to quilt various projects that are piling up anyway.

Maureen helped me with my Peacock quilt and that is ready for me to piece and put together.

Maureen also finished her CQFA improv round robin piece that was made at a meeting last year.

Nancy came and went, working on her handwork and chatting with us all.

Angela worked on Reversible Box Totes and they were really great. She used some quilting cottons and some fabrics from FabMo as ’embellishments’.

Julie cut out a new king sized project using Kaffe Fassett fabrics that will be fantastic. You know I love the Philip Jacobs prints in the Kaffe Collective and many of her fabrics were designed by my man, Phil.

Rhonda's Zipper Pouch
Rhonda’s Zipper Pouch

Rhonda worked on nesting zipper bags that will be gifts. She used some Alison Glass fabrics, similar to the ones I used in Field Day Zipper.

Jennifer put the beginnings of a piece together for a show where the theme is ‘Turmoil’. It is made from purples and violets and I look forward to seeing it when it is finished.

Sue also made zipper pouches similar to those from the one of the first BAMQG retreats. She was also making gifts and brought her serger along to do the finishing.

Carol's quilt
Carol’s quilt

I was very pleased to get to know Carol, a new-ish member, better. We sat across from each other at dinner on Saturday and I found that we have similar ideas about quiltmaking classes. She brought the quilt (left) to finish the binding and the sleeve and was beavering away at it when I arrived. The front of the quilt was a big mystery as we could only see the back as she sewed on the binding. We were all stunned and thrilled when she showed us the front. It is gorgeous. Simple in a complex kind of way. It fits in very well with the group as well as ‘modern’ quiltmaking sensibilities. Kathleen, Gerre and I started talking to her about also attending BAMQG.

Gerre sat in the corner and worked on her gorgeous handwork.

Dolores, who normally sits in the corner, came out from her lair, sat across from Maureen and worked on a couple of pieces that are intended for upcoming shows. One included an amazing amount of turning under raw edges and was done in purples and violets.

Bron sat in Dolores’ corner and worked on a gift quilt made from squares and pinwheels. We had a group discussion about borders, pieced and plain as well as the size of the borders.

Jan came and she was working on some pieces for her job at Curiodyssey. I didn’t get a good look at them, I am ashamed to say.

Kathleen's City Sampler Blocks
Kathleen’s City Sampler Blocks

Kathleen worked on her City Sampler blocks and made some good progress, especially after Gerre helped her with the quarter inch foot.

All in all it was a very collegial and productive weekend. Kathleen pointed out that the group is very supportive, which I knew in my heart, but had never articulated. It is true!

 

Creative Prompt #349: Word

Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and get familiar with your blog or website.

The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to  post your responses. I created this spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses.

We are also talking about this on Twitter and Instagram. Use the hashtag #CPP

“Word” is the shortened form of the phrase: “my word is my bond” which was originated by inmates in U.S. prisons. (Urban Dictionary)

Word of the Day

Word Jumble

Word Notebooks – The unique bullet point system used in Word. Notebooks lets you organize your tasks efficiently. Simply fill in the bullet point when writing an item on that line. Trace the circle around it when it’s important and add a slash when you’ve started work on it. Once the task is complete, simply mark down an “X” and move on to the next item on your list. It’s an easy way to keep track of all your notes.

Scrabble Word Finder

Words with Friends

word on the street

Word Search Puzzle

word of mouth

The Words – 2012 movie

Animated Super hero WordGirl fights crime using her superhero strength and her colossal vocabulary with her monkey sidekick, Captain Huggy Face.

The Word (band)

F-word

word games

Word Riot is an online literary magazine celebrating the best writers on the internet.

Word Club.  The Scripps National Spelling Bee provides children with powerful lessons about language, learning and life.

Six Word Memoirs

Race Forward’s Drop the I-Word campaign to eliminate use of the word “illegal” was launched in September 2010

Words without Borders – Working to promote international communication through translation of the world’s best writing.

The Word Detective – The online version of the newspaper column answering readers’ questions about words and language.

Word & World is a quarterly journal of theology whose readers are concerned with Christian ministry in and for the world.

Prepare students for reading success with three sets of high-frequency word books, featuring the most commonly used words in printed text.

word for word

Words & Phrases

Word Count Tool

Urban Word NYC champions the voices of New York City youth by providing platforms for critical literacy, youth development and leadership

PDF-to-Word converter

Microsoft Word

February 2016 To Do List

  • Quilt Christmas table runner – I spent a lot of time quilting it at the CQFA Retreat. I am not done, but well on my way. Look for a post soon
  • Wash fabric AKA The Great Unwashed-I seem to be washing loads regularly, because I need certain fabrics. I am not ironing as quickly as I should, but I’ll need to make some progress on that so I can start FOTY 2015
  • Cut out 3 notepad covers for gifts
  • Finish cutting out Day in the Park backpack variation
  • Sew 3rd Petrillo Bag
  • Sew Bon Appetit apron
  • Cut out Art supplies pincushion
  • Sew Art supplies pincushion
  • Sew purple pincushion
  • **Quilt Thanksgiving tablerunner #1
  • Quilt Thanksgiving tablerunner #2
  • Quilt Thanksgiving tablerunner #3
  • Quilt Thanksgiving table mat
  • **Bind Thanksgiving tablerunner #1
  • **Pull fabrics for QuiltCon class

Finished since December 2015

  • Cut out Anna Maria Horner Multi-tasker tote
  • Cut out Art supplies Sew Together Bag
  • Finish cutting out 3rd Petrillo bag
  • Cut out Thanksgiving tablerunner #1
  • Cut out Thanksgiving tablerunner #2
  • Cut out Thanksgiving tablerunner #3
  • Cut out Thanksgiving table mat
  • ATCs for CQFA December meeting
  • Finish sewing Anna Maria Horner Multi-tasker tote -this was a gift I intended to give during Holiday 2013- sigh. Missed 2014 Holiday deadline as well. I made it for birthday 2016 and it was a successful gift, I think.
  • Sew Art supplies Sew Together Bag
  • Cut out Purple Sew Together Bag
  • Sew Purple Sew Together Bag

Gift Bags as Leaders and Enders

Birthday Gift Bag
Birthday Gift Bag

There was a bit of a shortage of gift bags at Christmas. Not critical, but when you don’t always get them back, it happens. I also haven’t made any in a few years. Thus, it was time to get back on the bandwagon.

I bought a few pieces of Christmas fabric on sale to make up for the loss. I also snuck in a couple of pieces of birthday fabric into my cart that were just too cute to pass up.

Gift Bag (fabric from Mrs. K.)
Gift Bag (fabric from Mrs. K.)

I am a fiend for leaders and enders, but when you aren’t using a quarter inch foot it is hard to keep up the pace. This is where gift bags come in. They are a very forgiving project and I used them as leaders and enders as I made the Sew Together Bags.

Birthday Gift Bag
Birthday Gift Bag

Thus I got a few gift bags done without trying very hard. The ones shown here are just a few examples of the 8 or so I have made.

I have about 6 yards of fabric left to make more Christmas bags and I want to get to it, so I can offset some of the fabric I have bought and also get at least one stack off the floor.

Oroville Quilt Shops, pt. 2

Debbie's Quilt Shop front
Debbie’s Quilt Shop front

The next quilt shop I visited was also in Paradise. It was called Debbie’s Quilt Shop and it was around the corner from Morning Star Quilts. The Morning Star Quilt ladies encouraged me to visit.

Debbie's Quilt Shop: 30s Corner
Debbie’s Quilt Shop: 30s Corner

This shop had a very traditional bent to it. In addition to the Civil War type repros, I saw a nice selection of 30s fabrics. They had just gotten some fabrics that looked very mid-century modern. The lady helping me was trying to find a pattern with which to use them. The shop was not really my style, but there was a healthy selection of solids and brights as well, so I found a few things to pick up.

The shop was small, but well stocked with every thing needed for a variety of projects. There were a fair number of BOM offerings as well as patterns, books and samples from both. They had a number of paper piecing patterns, classes. Their strength was the lady helping me. She was very friendly and not in an obnoxious way. She said that she and the owner of Morning Star work together to keep their inventory different. I would guess they do that so both can stay in business. I like it!

Address: 6455 Skyway, Paradise, CA 95969
Phone:(530) 877-8458
See part 1 of this travelogue

Ruth’s IRR

Finished: Ruth's IRR - complete
Finished: Ruth’s IRR – complete

Yes, they are coming fast and furious! I got two at the last BAMQG meeting, as I mentioned. I was able to work on Claire’s piece during my last free sewing weekend, but I didn’t get to Ruth’s. While having little time to sew on the weekend, I have had to cram the work into bits of time during the week. Of course, I forgot to take a before picture. 🙁 C’est la vie. If you imagine removing my part, that is the before. 😉

There is something that makes me think of a castle. The ‘mountains’ could be points of a tower and the curved sections could be arches.

My addition to Ruth's IRR
My addition to Ruth’s IRR

Ruth’s piece has a clear color story and large curved center with triangles seem to be a design focus. The piece spoke to me immediately after I put it up on my design wall. I saw the triangles on the top that looked like mountains and decided to add something similar on the bottom.

I had to do some fancy sewing with background around the mountains since I didn’t want to cut off the tips. I think the background looks like Mary Mashuta’s Pushed Neutral concept and I like it.

Oroville Quilt Shops, pt.1

The travel for NSGW with DH is starting up in earnest now. We spent the weekend after my birthday in Oroville at the Discovery of Gold event.

DH had board meetings. I visited quilt shops. 😉

"Oroville" Quilt Shops
“Oroville” Quilt Shops

The first thing I did was search Google when I got to the hotel. My search was (without quotes) “quilt shops oroville ca”. I was thrilled that I found quilt shops, but confused that none of them had towns listed. Could that mean there were a ton of quilt shops in Oroville mere steps from my hotel?

Too good to be true. There were no quilt shops in Oroville listed in the Google search results. All of those listed in the box (image above) were in different towns. I found one called Mary Jane’s, but I couldn’t actually find the physical place and all the images seemed to be bedspreads so I didn’t go and don’t know what that was about.

I decided to visit three shops. The driving would be about an hour. Sadly, no other NSGW wives seem to be interested in quiltmaking so I am on my own in these endeavors. Two of the shops were in Paradise and one was in Colusa. There were a few more in the surrounding areas, but I thought three was enough was enough to visit in one day.

As soon as I saw DH off, I headed out. It was raining, but not too bad and the drive was easy. I did make on wrong turn, but got to the first shop with no problem.

Morning Star Quilt Shop

Morning Star Quilts, Paradise
Morning Star Quilts, Paradise

Of all the shops I visited, this was my favorite. The samples and the fabrics on offer were my style. I wasn’t expecting much when I got out of the car, except to get out of the rain, but I was very pleased. The place was big, bright and airy and the ladies were friendly. The store was also clean – to the point of gleaming!

I remembered that I saw them vending at Quilts in the Garden in Livermore a few years ago.

Morning Star Quilts, main room
Morning Star Quilts, main room

I saw a lot of organization in that store. There wasn’t stuff laying around and very few bolts of fabric just around. Of all the samples they had on the walls, each one had a tag that said that there was a kit available. I am not a fan of kits, but many people are and they are great for stores. Also, most of the fabrics seen in the samples was still available. I didn’t ask whether they took down the samples when the kits and fabrics were no longer available but it seems like the kind of place where that practice would be standard.

There were other samples besides quilts as well: little girl dresses, pillowcases, embroidery and wool felt projects.

Crabapple Hill Studio
Crabapple Hill Studio

The embroidery projects were very intriguing. The ones that really caught my eye were from Crabapple Hill Studio. I actually don’t know if the shop had other brands’ embroidery designs. I don’t really do embroidery so I really just glanced at these. After I got home I looked at the Crabapple Hill Studio website and the designs really make me want to do embroidery. There is a sense of the traditional embroidery designs that we learned needlework on as children, but with more color and a little more whimsy. The pattern shown as an example gives you an idea of the style.

Morning Star Quilts: Front to back view / front of store
Morning Star Quilts: Front to back view / front of store
Morning Star Quilts: Back to front/ front of store
Morning Star Quilts: Back to front/ front of store
Morning Star Quilts: Purse hardware, notions/ front of store
Morning Star Quilts: Purse hardware, notions/ front of store

The front of the store had batiks and bags. I know that sounds great, but they also had fat quarters and Aurifil. 😉 Morning Star Quilts had organized their batiks together in the front of the store. On the other side of the front of the store were purse and bag patterns as well as bag hardware. I was impressed at the number of bag patterns and equivalent samples.

View of Morning Star shop main area
View of Morning Star shop main area

That was something that Morning Star did really well: patterns with samples. I mentioned this along with kits above, but it was impressive how well this was done. The color sense was also excellent. I loved the fabrics they used in the way they put quilts together.

They had a small curtain in the window, which was a light diffuser. I didn’t see a pattern, but I liked the idea. You can see it in the photo directly above in the upper left hand corner.

Morning Star Quilts long arm
Morning Star Quilts long arm

I saw a long arm, but I don’t know if they rent it out or if they do long arm quilting for customers.

You can see a lot of embroidery floss behind the longarm. Some of this is Cosmo, which I have never seen in that quantity before. I was thrilled and it was very hard not to buy it all.

Morning Star Quilts: Seating area
Morning Star Quilts: Seating area

Nobody was sitting in this little seating area, but it is cute and this was the area where they had wool felt patterns and supplies.

You can also see the light diffusers in the windows at the top of the photo.

I would recommend that you visit this shop if you make it to Paradise. Definitely go out of your way to visit this shop if you are anywhere nearby.

Morning Star Quilt Shop
Address: 43 Pearson Rd, Paradise, CA 95969
Phone:(530) 876-3243

Various & Sundry #2 – 2016

Patterns, Projects and Tutorials

Everyone needs a pincushion and wouldn’t a chicken pincushion make you smile? Check out her tutorials and small projects page for other interesting projects.

The Foldline has an article on using up fabric bits of under a metre (about a yard!). Many clothing patterns.

Meadow Mist is starting a blog series on writing patterns.

Want a BB8 quilt? There is a free pattern posted at the Hunter’s Design Studio site. I am not a fan of the part of the quilt that depicts Ray, but the overall design makes sense. I can’t tell you anything about the directions as I have not made the quilt or read the pattern. Let me know.

Louisa at SewMotion has some pointers to tutorials on inserting zippers into the backs of cushions. Knowing these tutorials are there, and after getting a lot of zipper practice making the Sew Together Bags, I may try insert a zipper closure on my next cushion or pillow cover.

Check out the Improv cactus patterns from Road HOme Quilting. I love the Saguaro!

Charlotte, of Scrapitude fame, has another mystery quilt up: Scrappy Stars Around the Corner. I missed the cutting instructions. She recently released the first sewing clue so I had better get busy if I intend to make this quilt. I haven’t decided, but I am saving the directions.

Other Artists

Jennifer Landau,a CQFA pal, has a spread of her work in Art Quilt studio magazine.

Mark Lipinski has a thank you for all the help and support he received during his illness. You can still Help him with medical bills and lost wages via a donation at the GoFundMe site set up by Meg Cox and Liza Prior Lucy. Over $25000 has been raised. Any amount helps. The goal is $75,000. Mark was in the hospital for over 2 months. He has recently returned home and wrote a post about his journey.

Exhibits and Events

Get ready for National Quilting Day. When I was poking around the Quilt Alliance website I found the following information: “National Quilting Day 2016 25th Anniversary Year! Celebrate the 25th Annual National Quilting Day … on March 19, 2016. The Quilt Alliance is proud to be the new coordinator of this special day! [They] are so proud to take over this tradition from the National Quilting Association and promise to continue providing fun and meaningful ideas for celebrating National Quilting Day, graphics you can use to publicize your own NQD events and a home base for this important day to honor and promote quilting! Click here to view” the NQD 2016 page.

EBHQ Show at Craneway Pavillion March 19-20.

Sherri Lynn Wood speaks at EBHQ on February 29.

From ResearchBuzz: “Lithuania is getting a new modern art museum in 2019, but in the meantime it’s getting an online museum. “[Viktoras] Butkus has collected about 4,000 works of art, mostly over the past six years. They include paintings by surrealist Mikalojus Povilas Vilutis, by Augustinas Savickas — vaguely reminiscent of Chagall — as well as sculptures by Ruta Jusionyte…. Painter Patricija Jurksaityte said the museum would offer a complete map of Lithuanian art unlike the country’s National Gallery, which often displays just a single work from any artist.” The museum’s Web site has an English version (look for the EN link in the upper right corner) so I poked around for a while, and now I really, really want a print of Gintaras Znamierowski’s Victory Boogie Woogie.” (Jan 24, 2016)

Websites, Blogs and Other Artists

Jill, an amazing artist who blogs at the Quilt Rat, now has a YouTube Channel. Jill has participated on and off in the Creative Prompt Project (still going strong!), but also does Scherenschnitte and Zentangle like quilt and embroidery designs.

This quote make feel greedy, but I still love it. See the original.

My Tuffet shows up in one of the posts on the new Scruffy Quilts blog!

Skills and Techniques

Patrick Lose has a video on binding a quilt, which is part of a 12 part series from QNM. This video shows only the  corners. He uses a slightly larger than quarter inch seam allowance – opposite of a scant quarter inch! The basis of the technique seems to be reducing bulk. I look forward to trying it out.

Organization

Need a new organizational system for your life? Take a look at the Bullet Journal. TFQ told me about it. I can’t/ don’t want to do it all, but I do like the index and the page numbering. Brilliant. With the turn of the New Year not very far behind me, I still think about my ‘traditions’ (superstitions?) for the turn of the year. The Yearly Migration blog post on the Bullet Journal blog was very interesting, in light of these thoughts.

Housekeeping

I redid the spreadsheet Pam uses to track her fabric usage. TFQ helped me update it so that I track by project or instance and not by week. Regardless of how it tracks, I need to finish some projects, because I am way up on adding fabric and way down on using fabric. I can say that I am doing a lot of hunting and gathering, but I still need to finish up some projects.

Creative Prompt #348: Black

Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and get familiar with your blog or website.

The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to  post your responses. I created this spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses.

We are also talking about this on Twitter and Instagram. Use the hashtag #CPP

lack of color

Blackbeard

Definition: “Black is the darkest color, the result of the absence of or complete absorption of light. It is the opposite of white (the combined spectrum of color or light).[1] It is an achromatic color, literally a color without color or hue.[2] It is one of the four primary colors in the CMYK color model, along with cyan, yellow, and magenta, used in color printing to produce all the other colors.

Black was one of the first colors used by artists in neolithic cave paintings. In the 14th century, it began to be worn by royalty, the clergy, judges and government officials in much of Europe. It became the color worn by English romantic poets, businessmen and statesmen in the 19th century, and a high fashion color in the 20th century.[3]

In the Roman Empire, it became the color of mourning, and over the centuries it was frequently associated with death, evil, witches and magic. According to surveys in Europe and North America, it is the color most commonly associated with mourning, the end, secrets, magic, force, violence, evil, and elegance.[4]” (Wikipedia)

Black Founders is an organization dedicated to diversity in tech. Our mission is to increase the number of successful black entrepreneurs in technology.

blackboard

color of mourning

Black Beauty – an 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell

black pearl (also a ship in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie)

Jack Black

black hole

black gold

black friday

BeagleBone Black is a low-cost, community-supported development platform for developers and hobbyists.

Black & Decker

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Book Review: Adding Layers

Adding Layers Color, Design & Imagination: 15 Original Quilt Projects from Kathy Doughty of Material ObsessionAdding Layers Color, Design & Imagination: 15 Original Quilt Projects from Kathy Doughty of Material Obsession by Kathy Doughty

I sought out this book after I saw a quilt, which referenced the book at the Tuleberg Quilt Show and after I saw Gerre bring her fantastic quilt to show and tell at a recent BAMQG meeting. I have Material Obsession in my library, but it hasn’t filtered to the top of the stack for a review yet.

As I was preparing to write this review I was thinking about what attracted me to Doughty’s style. I am really interested in the layering of color, design motifs, e.g. quilting, embroidery, embellishment, and the juxtaposition (almost clashing) of fabric/color motifs in quilts. You know how Kaffe Fassett has a riot of fabric prints in his quilts that somehow seem to work? That is what I mean.

You can see some of my experiments in this area in the Red and Black Improv quilt, but looking at Scrapitude Carnivale is what really made me think more about the successful combinations of different fabrics.

While this type of combination of fabrics and colors seems common today, Doughty curates her fabrics more carefully. She does not seem to be of the mind that more is better and the more you have the more will go together, unlike some other quilt teachers.

The book starts with an introduction, which says “The lives and voices of the makers are sewn into a composite piece of visual delight that evocatively joins color, technique, and style into a long lasting memory.”

This is only part of an introduction that is a delightful essay about making and some of the thoughts quilts evoke in people. It sets the tone for the book. After reading this, I had a dark thought that went back to my post on quilt labels, which was that unsigned/unattributed quilts break the connection of the maker to their quilt.

The intro is followed by a section on Kathy Doughty‘s quilt journey (pg.6). After giving a brief description of how she came to write the book, own a shop, etc, she reminds us that “just as important as the how of making the quilt is the why.” I think about the ‘why’ a lot and find that most quilt authors don’t discuss it very much, if at all.

The author brings the reader into the circle with the next section, “You and the Book” (pg.7). She says “simple fabric selections, basic patterns, and obvious designs gave way to more mature, thoughtful designs.” You have to walk before you can run. This section outlines how the author intended the book to be used. She encourages readers to use their stash.

Kathy Doughty suggests asking yourself “what do I want to say?” at the beginning of each quilt. This question stopped me. I almost never ask myself this I often start a project because I want to try a technique or teach myself a skill. I never think of infusing my quilts with a message or starting at a point with a message in mind. As I scroll through the quilts I have made in my mind, I know why I made most of them and only a couple of them have messages, or started with messages.

As with most quilt books, the intro sections cover the basics. A message about creativity (pg.8) is one that I would like to copy and put up on my inspiration board.

Doughty encourages readers to use our stash fabrics and gives some ways to think about your beloved fabrics.

All of the sections in the Tools of the Trade chapter are infused with Doughty’s creative and positive style. La de dah creativity is great, but good technique is important as well. Thus, I was pleased that she said “however, it is also important that the quilt lies flat, that the seams join, that lines of the design are distinguished, and that in the end the quilt is square – not to mention sewn together in a manner that will stand the test of time and wear.” (pg.11). I think that good technique gets short shrift a lot of the time, but I believe that it is amazingly important and am glad a well respected shop owner, author and designer like Doughty agrees.

I have never seen a section on Rulers and Templates (pg.12-13), but the author has one in this book. She is also the first person I have seen who recommends Creative Grids half and quarter square triangle rulers. In the photograph (pg.13), I see a few rulers that I have, but a number that I do not. In this section, Doughty’s reasoning and comments are included with the picture. The picture is followed with a Tips section, which describes techniques such as cutting strips (pg.14), cutting wedges from strips as well as from a wedge ruler (pg.15), and using the specialty rulers (pg.16-17). There are also a few pages on other tools (pg.18-19).

Finally, we get to Chapter 1! It is called “Working the Stash”. Doughty writes “The simple act of collecting is a favorite pastime for many of us. As a shop owner I have heard many stories about stashes. I am often left with a curious feeling: Why collect if it is never to be used?” I have no interest, cause or reason to judge why people buy fabric and whether they use it or not. If a quiltmaker collects fabric for the joy of collecting more power to her (or him!). Yards of fabric are no different than salt & pepper shakers or 50s style Pyrex baking dishes. We all collect something. Still, I am glad Ms. Doughty brought this up. When I buy fabric it is with the intention of using it. Whether I do or not is a different story, but my intent is to cut it up and put it in a quilt or bag. I have found that when I put ‘special’ fabrics into my quilt I enjoy them even more.

The author acknowledges that selecting fabrics for a quilt can be a challenge, but that it should be a fun process. Her tip is to find a link, an idea with which I agree. She points out that a stash that is not used starts to look dated. I have found this to be true as well. I have found that my tastes change if a fabric languishes or I am not interested in the project for which I bought the fabric after awhile.

She talks, in general, about scrap organization in this section as well.

Right after that one page chapter 😉 come a few projects related to the text of the chapter: stashes and scraps. Of these projects, I am quite fond of Vintage Spin (pg.22-27) . As I said, my friend Gerre made a version of this quilt and I loved her piece.

Each project has a short section oh how the author started, construction, assembly and how she finished. The directions are adequate, but only a few pages. I think a maker would do well to have a few quilts under his/her belt to make these quilts. Even a confident beginner could make some of the projects.

Chapter 2 is called “Working with Templates (pg.59). Kathy says that she loves to cut all kinds of shapes with templates, because they are efficient. Material Obsession has a line of templates for many of the projects in this book. These rotary cutting templates are featured throughout the book in the various photos. They are listed as optional in the book’s supply lists.

Big Wedding (pg.86-91) is my favorite pattern in this section, though I would use a different color palette.

“Working with Scale” is the title of Chapter 3 (pg.93). Modern quiltmakers love to blow up one block design to cover a whole quilt top. Doughty has done this, but in a fresh way.

She points out that making blocks really big means that you can use large print fabrics (like my man, Phil’s 😉 fabric lines!!!) to great effect. Why didn’t I think of this?? This is an excellent point, which goes beyond ‘making it modern’. My mind is zinging!

Kathy Doughty mentions “The puzzle in this process was how to maintain the feeling of tradition while exploring the blown-out size structure.” I think that is an important question, because no matter how hard we try 9 patches and Churn Dash blocks have been around for awhile and are considered classic blocks. The joy of quiltmaking, for me, is taking something and making it new and my own,which includes classic blocks.

I like most of the quilts in this section or had some feeling about each one. I really like Basket Case (pg.94-101). The name alone is worth the price of admission! The finished version of Lily Field (pg.102-109) was very appealing. The infinity look of the Mega Churn Dash (pg.110-115) was fun, but the fabrics were dull and uninspiring. I would have added something to the quilt as it looks like something is missing. Perhaps it would have been more appealing to me if the background had been mosaic pieced? The good thing about this quilt is that it would be a fast gift.

Super Nova (pg.116-121) may be my favorite quilt in this section. I am yearning to try it with some of my Philip Jacob prints!. I love Sawtooth Stars and the off center design offers a lot of movement. The different sizes of blocks also adds to the movement. The opportunity to use large scale prints might be too good to pass up. I bought a charcoal dot print recently that would be an excellent background for this quilt, so I am on my way! 😉

Star Man (pg.122-126) may be a good design for one of my nephews while not being boring to sew.

The last piece of the book is a relatively detailed bio of Kathy Doughty. This is followed by a packet of template pages in the back of the book.

I plan to buy this book and hope you will as well.

View all my reviews